"I create because it heals me, and it's special to me​when others feel some comfort from it too."​

LUX XZYMHR

Sweet Nightmares: Do you have your own studio?Lux: I haven't had a proper studio in years. I think that's why I work mostly with pencil right now. I can draw anywhere. I do look forward to that studio experience though, of having a space to make a mess and be alone.

SN: Where did you grow up?L: In Hawaii. I also spent a fair amount of time in Arizona as a child.

SN: Were you exposed to a lot of art throughout your childhood? L: When I was really little I was in nature mostly. My grandmother was a true artist and when I started staying with her more, she put a paintbrush in my hand and really encouraged me. She was a Painter and her house was like a crazy museum. It was a place I could get lost in. She had her paintings of boats and clowns all over. I'm really grateful for that time.

SN: Your drawings have a seamless, natural flow to them. When you begin a new piece, do you plan it out beforehand or jump in and work from intuition?L: Both. I sometimes plan things out these days by making a digital collage of textures and reference. I work loosely from that, but always leave a lot of room for whatever wants to come through. I see that as a way to improve my skills. I also find it equally important to work from nothing of this world, with no planned outcome. That's the most fun for me.

SN: Do you picture people in your head when you draw, or do you aim to create a new being who only exists on the art?L: I feel less like I'm creating someone, and more like I'm being shown or meeting someone. It's like a discovery. The beings I have drawn have helped me in harder times. I feel like the more I can listen the better.

SN: Do you prefer drawing over painting?L: I'm really inexperienced as a painter, but I love it. Drawing is my favorite though. There's something really freeing about being limited to a pencil and paper.

SN: What influences do you feel have had the greatest impact on your creativity? How did you develop your style?It just mirrors an internal exploration. my greatest influences are not of this world. I didn't consciously develop a style, I'm still not sure I have one. It feels like it's always changing.

SN: What do you feel is the most important choice you make as an artist producing your work?L: To not strive to make art that others will like or even see. It's so easy to get caught up in what others think. I think that choice really shows in the work.

SN: Do you ever draw images from your dreams?L: Sometimes day-visions, but not usually night time dreams.

SN: Has there ever been a situation where you used your art to help someone? Sometime where your art saw benefits you never dreamed of?L: In the last year I had the privilege to make drawings for two different women with cancer. One was a dear friend, and one I have never met. It was very rewarding for me. I wish I could do that all the time. I create because it heals me, and it's special to me when others feel some comfort from it too. ​SN: What is it that predominantly fuels you to create? That is, where do you find your most fertile inspirations?L: Many times when I create, I'm simply comforted by it. I think I used to feel like creativity could only come from certain emotions or places, now I know that's not true. There's a deeper well that never dries up in all of us.

SN: What's next for Lux?L: I'm finishing up a collection of drawings to share in the new year. I hope to have a show then.

SN: How do you pronounce "Lux Xzymhr"?L: However you like, I like all the ways people say it. A friend of mine once said it looked like "shimmer". That seems to have stuck.

Music to draw to?Lately Jeff Buckley and Diane Cluck

Favourite colour?Sky blue.

If you could live any place, where would it be?Hawaii or the high desert.

What would you do without art?I'd be a dancer. Or a semi truck driver. ​